Smoking and weight gain: What's your experience?

I’ve been thinking about quitting smoking for a long time now. The main thing holding me back is this idea I heard that people tend to gain at least 10 pounds after they stop. Honestly, I don't know if my budget can handle that right now. I know health comes first, obviously, but is there any way to prevent that weight gain?

I was actually just venting about this exact thing to a friend of mine who’s in med school. I’ve managed to cut back on smoking, but honestly? I’m terrified of quitting entirely—mostly because I’m scared of packing on the pounds. It feels like everyone I know who quit ended up gaining weight.

But look, the reality is they gained weight because they started eating more. Period. One friend tried to convince me for ages that she didn't even eat more after she quit, that she was just somehow gaining weight from thin air (yeah, right 🙄 ). My dad also put on weight, but he’ll be the first to admit he just started overeating once he tossed his last pack.

My med school friend says you really just need willpower after you stop; you aren't going to magically gain weight from breathing air, but the fact is a lot of people unconsciously snack way more once they quit. That's why you have to control that urge to chew, otherwise the weight creeps in. Sure, a cigarette might bump up your metabolism by maybe 10%, but we shouldn't blame every single pound gained solely on quitting.

My real fear is that I won't be able to control myself at the dinner table if I ditch cigarettes completely. I'm not worried about gaining weight from nothing; I'm worried about the habit that might, I guess, develop within me—just constant snacking..

Then again, last year I went three months without smoking and didn't gain a single ounce, but I was working out pretty hard back then, so maybe that's a solid strategy too—just swap the cigarettes for exercise... If you do that, there probably won't be any weight gain at all.

If you don't mind me asking, how old are you all and how long have you been smoking? I've only been at it for three years, and I really want to quit before things get out of hand...

Look, I’m turning 21 soon, and I’ve been smoking since I was 16. Honestly, three years isn't even a big deal. I seriously doubt anyone who hasn't been smoking for at least ten years is actually going to see any massive, life-altering changes in their body after they finally quit...

Hannah Nelson52 said:If you don't mind me asking, how old are you guys and how long have you been smoking? I've only been at it for three years, and I really want to quit before things get out of hand...

Just quit right now while it's still easy. Once you've got ten years under your belt, man, it becomes incredibly hard to stop.

Like someone already mentioned, breathing air isn't what makes you gain weight. If you pick up a sport or some kind of workout you actually enjoy, you won't just stay fit—it'll actually make quitting much easier too!

I’m telling you—just quit cold turkey right now. If you wait, it’s going to be a hell of a lot harder later on.
I actually tried to kick the habit once, just for a few days. 😁 I was hungry all the time, like, insanely hungry; honestly, even those intense cravings you get during PMS don't even come close to comparing to that feeling. It was brutal. And what happened? I ended up right back at it. 🙄 😁

So, I smoked for 11 years straight, and now I’ve been clean for over a year. Honestly? The mental prep alone took me almost a full year. I didn't bother cutting back on the number of cigarettes—I think that's a total trap—and I didn't even set some arbitrary "quit date." Instead, I just kept drilling it into my own head why this habit sucked until I started feeling guilty every single time I reached for one. I had all these stupid questions running through my mind: what if I just start snacking constantly instead? How am I supposed to drink coffee without a smoke? Is it going to drive me crazy when someone else is smoking near me? You have to mentally brace yourself for every single craving so you can actually fight them off. Like, if you run to the fridge every time you want a light, you're just gonna end up gaining weight. I didn't gain an ounce—actually, I dropped about five pounds. Don't even try to quit without being ready, or you'll just end up taking a "break" until the first crisis hits. Quitting is a massive deal. Look, I'm not exactly the type of person who finds it easy to give up things I enjoy, but I pulled it off. If I could do it, anyone can. But if you think you need to quit but you don't *really* want to, you won't. You have to actually, truly want it. Then you'll make it.
Once you finally kick the habit and realize how much you actually stank to everyone around you—plus, once your sense of taste and smell comes back to life—you're gonna be so glad you did.
Good luck 👍

P.S. After grinding through a few years of heavy sessions, I was hitting maybe 40 sticks a day. That went on for like 2 or 3 years straight before I finally dialed it back to 20-25, so yeah, you can't really say I wasn't a hardcore smoker.

It’s been exactly one year since I finally kicked the habit after nine years of smoking. Sure, I’ve put on a few pounds—but honestly, that’s a minor trade-off when you consider how much weight I avoided gaining by not being a smoker...👍
My only real concern now is making sure I don't end up sliding back into those old habits.😁

What’s a few extra pounds, really? A couple of kilos isn't exactly a crisis, especially since my body type means it wouldn't even end up in my chest area anyway.😎
But honestly, I haven't moved from the fridge all day. It was just one thing after another—one minute I wanted something sweet, then suddenly it had to be salty, then cold, then more of everything. It was endless. Just awful.
By the way, I really should quit smoking, though I have zero interest in gaining weight in the process.

Everyone’s entitled to their opinion... a few extra pounds don't mean much compared to the benefits of quitting... but now I need something to actually push me over the edge. I've tried, but nothing seems to stick long enough to finally get rid of this habit for good. Right now, my routine is just hitting the gym and then heading straight to the park to light up one...

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Speaking from my own experience,
I actually gained nearly 45 pounds, but after nine months of sticking to it, I managed to drop 10. Now, I’m working toward getting down to about 10 pounds below my starting weight of 210 by this summer...
All things considered, I don't think it's too bad to get through.😁

My mom finally kicked the habit after nearly 35 years, and honestly, she hasn't touched one in almost six months now. It’s quite something.

As for me, I’ve been smoking since I was 14, and deep down, I know the clock is ticking and I really ought to quit. I’ve tried making the break before, but there always comes this specific phase where I end up treating cigarettes like a box of chocolates—just picking them off one by one—and then the whole cycle resets. I suppose I’ll get there eventually. Right now, I just try to pace myself so a single pack lasts me about two or three days. If I were to give any advice to someone actually looking to quit, I’d say don't do it just because you're afraid of getting sick; fear isn't a strong enough anchor. You need to find a real, driving purpose or a goal that actually matters to you. For those who aren't ready to stop just yet, I'd suggest sticking with Marlboro Ultra Light.

http://www.cigaretteson.com/ProductI...tra_lights.gif
http://www.cigarettes-for-men.com/br...tra_lights.jpg

Or maybe the medium ones, which are pretty much perfect, though unfortunately, they aren't really available here in the States; I used to smoke them for a bit when I was traveling through Germany.
http://www.cigarettes-collection.com...ediumusasp.jpg

Hannah Nelson52 said:I’ve been thinking about quitting smoking for a long time now. The main thing holding me back is this idea I heard that people tend to gain at least 10 pounds after they stop. Honestly, I don't know if my budget can handle that right now. I know health comes first, obviously, but is there any way to prevent that weight gain?

The perks of actually being able to breathe again are worth way more than whatever extra weight you might put on... maybe.
How to stay lean? Eat actual food, load up on veggies, and hit the gym regularly. Just don't swap cigarettes for donuts...